While there are many types of connectors on the market, almost all of them have been designed for only one specific purpose and for only one specific manner of use. This is particularly true of one-piece, or unitary, devices for connecting a pair of members having their longitudinal axes perpendicular to each other.
Such connectors, for example, have not found their way into the building construction industry wherein building beams, studs, stringers and the like are secured together by means of nails. In home construction, particularly in cold climates, conventional construction methods limit the space available for insulation because the studs must be nailed onto the stringers through their shortest dimension, commonly referred to as the thickness. For example, a wood 2".times.4" is nailed through the shorter dimension when fastened to another member. In this age of energy conservation, it obviously is desirable to increase the thickness of the insulation. However, the maximum thickness is limited by wall thickness. With conventional construction methods, thicker walls to accommodate thicker insulation require more framing lumber. In some instances, a double wall has been utilized, thereby doubling the space available for insulating material but, at the same time, also doubling the cost of the basic structure of the building.